A British woman who is not suffering from a severe illness is set to end her life through assisted dying in Switzerland this week. Wendy Duffy, 56, boarded a one-way flight to the central European country on April 22 to use the Pegasos clinic, a facility that offers assisted suicide services at a cost of £10,000.
Planned Death for Over a Year
The former care worker told the Daily Mail that she had meticulously planned her death for more than a year, including selecting the final song she would hear. 'You can choose whatever song you want. I'm going to go out to Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars singing Die With A Smile,' she said. 'You'll never be able to hear that song now without thinking of me, will you?'
Switzerland's Assisted Dying Laws
For decades, Switzerland has been one of the few countries permitting doctors to help severely ill patients end their lives with medication, a practice known as the 'right to die.' However, Wendy is physically healthy. She lost her only child, Marcus, aged 23, four years ago and now wishes to die in a 'neat' and controlled manner.
Pegasos operates with less stringent rules than Digitas. Its assisted suicide procedures involve a lengthy evaluation of a written request and medical information, along with at least two face-to-face meetings with a doctor. Patients must demonstrate mental competence and that they have not been coerced into the decision by anyone with ulterior motives.
Criteria for Assisted Dying
Some European countries and Colombia allow individuals suffering from irremediable conditions such as depression to seek assisted death. Pegasos concluded that Wendy meets the clinic's criteria and will undergo days of evaluation. Wendy explained that the process involves her administering medication herself by turning a dial. 'Then – ding, ding, ding – within a minute, you are in a coma, and a minute after that, you are gone,' she added.
Family and Final Goodbyes
Speaking of her family, Wendy said: 'Pegasos have been in touch with them. I will call them when I get to Switzerland. It will be a hard call where I'll say goodbye and thank them. But they will get it. They know. Honestly, 100%, they know that I'm not happy, that I don't want to be here.'
Pegasos founder Ruedi Habegger commented: 'Wendy is very decided. I saw her at her hotel today, I had a long talk with her and with the psychiatrist that is going to see her a second time before the VAD [voluntary assisted death]. He is very confident that we are doing the right thing letting her go, that we should not stand in her way. She is absolutely not in a depressive state. I'm very experienced in this field. There are no worries with Wendy, none at all.'
UK Law Debate
A UK law that could permit physician-assisted death under narrow circumstances is being debated in the House of Lords on April 24. It has faced fierce opposition from more than 60 groups representing people with disabilities, who argue that they may face subtle coercion to end their lives. As for Wendy, she said death is something she has seen a 'million times,' including 'nice deaths, horrible deaths.' She added that nothing would stop her. 'You could give me a house full of dogs,' she says. 'I'm doing this.'
